The Burch, Jacobs & Moore Diversity Teaching Excellence Award
The Burch, Jacobs & Moore Diversity Teaching Excellence Award was established to recognize faculty from across the University whose teaching advances/encourages inclusive excellence within the Grand Valley community. The award is named for the first graduates of color at Grand Valley who completed their studies in 1967: Joan Burch, Annie Jacobs, and James Moore. This award also celebrates the ways in which Grand Valley values inclusiveness as a significant part of the University’s fabric. In recognition of the multitude of fields addressing diversity through different means and at different rates, there are two categories designated within this award. An applicant should submit under Award 1 category or Award 2 category for consideration. Below are details about the criteria for the awards and description of required supporting materials.
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR BOTH SUBAWARD CATEGORIES
This award is based on the following criteria, which are not ranked by order of importance, nor exclusive:
- The nominee’s teaching demonstrates a commitment to diversity and provides clear support of inclusive practices
- The nominee contributes substantially to the climate of inclusion at the University. This involves the extent to which the nominee’s teaching activities have fostered awareness about diversity issues and/or promoted cultural competence
- The extent to which the nominee’s teaching activities have demonstrated excellence and go beyond the expected requirements of their course SORs in supporting and advancing a campus environment that is welcoming and supportive of the multitude of human differences in identities, accessibilities, and knowledgeways, including but not limited to ethnicity, race, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, language, and people living with disabilities.
- This aspect may focus specifically on consistent incorporation of anti-racist pedagogies, through course content, design, and implementation with supporting materials and letters directly addressing this work
Examples of contributions include, but are not limited to:
- Creating a new course (or set of courses) that concentrates on diversity and inclusion issues as clearly articulated by the candidate with supporting materials
- Implementing significant curriculum modifications that incorporate multiple perspectives representing diverse voices
- Use and clear identification of culturally-based pedagogical best practices that influence how students learn.
- The development and implementation of innovative strategies for teaching that advance the understanding of underrepresented groups through classroom instruction
- The development, design, and implementation of a campus program or workshop on a topic tied to inclusion
ADDITIONAL SUBAWARD CRITERIA
Award Category 1: Teaching in a discipline that addresses inclusion & diversity
This award category is based on the following additional criteria, which are not ranked by order of importance, nor exclusive:
- The nominee demonstrates consistent participation in broader professional or community discussions about incorporating inclusive pedagogies, such as external trainings, workshops, relevant conference presentations, etc.
- The nominee’s teaching activities demonstrate responsive revision and adjustment to teaching environments or activities that emphasize a continuing commitment to supporting students in diverse and inclusive ways
Award Category 2: Teaching in a discipline that does not traditionally address inclusion & diversity
NO ADDITIONAL SUBAWARD CRITERIA
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Award Category 1: Teaching in a discipline that addresses inclusion & diversity
1. Nomination Cover Sheet
2. Three Artifacts
- Description of Teaching Excellence
- Reflective statement authored by the nominee addressing the award criteria, emphasizing pedagogy and reflection on teaching experiences over time with attention to the norms of their discipline and how they have gone beyond these (1-2 pages in length)
- For Library Faculty, Description of Professional Excellence - Statement authored by the nominee addressing the award criteria, emphasizing reflection on professional practice over time. This includes teaching and/or support for teaching (1-2 pages in length)
- Sample materials (2)
- Two carefully selected items that best represent teaching excellence highlighting inclusion and diversity. Examples include: syllabus, assignment, project guidelines, teaching tool, self-authored learning object
3. Two Letters of Support
- Two letters of support from faculty, staff, or students
- Letters should speak to the general award criteria and the specific criteria of the award category, in particular how the nominee has impacted university culture and moved beyond the norms of the discipline
Award Category 2: Teaching in a discipline that does not traditionally address inclusion & diversity
1. Nomination Cover Sheet
2. Three Artifacts
- Description of Teaching Excellence
- Reflective statement authored by the nominee addressing the award criteria, emphasizing pedagogy and reflection on teaching experiences over time with attention to the norms of their discipline and how they have gone beyond these (1-2 pages in length)
- For Library Faculty, Description of Professional Excellence - Statement authored by the nominee addressing the award criteria, emphasizing reflection on professional practice over time. This includes teaching and/or support for teaching (1-2 pages in length)
- Sample materials (2)
- Two carefully selected items that best represent teaching excellence highlighting inclusion and diversity. Examples include: syllabus, assignment, project guidelines, teaching tool, self-authored learning object
3. Two Letters of Support
- Two letters of support from faculty, staff, or students
- Letters should speak to the general award criteria and the specific criteria of the award category, in particular how the nominee has impacted university culture and moved beyond the norms of the discipline
Please note: no additional materials beyond these items will be accepted.